Draft gear adjusting device



July 19, 1955 H, E, TUCKER 2,713,425

DRAFT GEAR ADJUSTING DEVICE Filed Sept. 5, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 33% z 5 gLNVENTOR.

July. 19, 195 H. E. TUCKER 2,713,425

DRAFT GEAR ADJUSTING DEVICE Filed Sept. 5, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 1 2,713,425 DRAFT GEAR ADJUSTING DEVICE Herbert E. Tucker, Chicago, Ill., assignor: to Cardwell Westinghouse Company, a corporation of Delaware Application September 5, 1952, Serial No. 308,075 3 Claims. (Cl. 213--32) Some draft gears include a housing having internal shoulders and friction elements within said housing including a central wedge member having lateral shoulders engaging the shoulders in the housing to maintain the springs under compression at normal expansion.

When originally assembled, the shoulders on the central wedge member have projections which engage the shoulders in the housing and temporarily shorten the overall length of the gear in order to compensate for variations in the length of the draft gear pocket and make it easy to insert the draft gear between the draft and buffing lugs. (Car Builders Cyclopedia, 1946, pp. 294 and 295; patent to Sproul No. 2,121,833, June 28, 1938) After a few expansions, wear or distortion eliminates the effect of the projections and allows the gear to have normal expansion into contact with the lugs.

When such a draft gear is removed from the pocket for inspection or maintenance operations, it expands too long to re-enter the pocket and, the springs being powerful, it is a difiicult and dangerous operation to get the gear back into the pocket.

According to this invention, the gear is compressed and a separator of relatively soft material is inserted between the shoulders in the housing and the shoulders on the central wedge member to temporarily shorten the gear so that it may be readily inserted within the pocket.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the draft gear with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the draft gear, again with parts broken away;

Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of separators for temporarily shortening the draft gear;

Figs. 5 and 6 are partial, horizontal sections along the center line of the draft gear;

Fig. 7 is an end view of the draft gear;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the tool used in compressing the draft gear.

But these drawings and the corresponding description are used for the purpose of illustrative disclosure only, and are not intended to impose unnecessary limitations on the claims.

The housing 10 of the draft gear forming the subject of this invention is provided with an internal shoulder 11 adapted to cooperate with lateral shoulders 12 on a central wedge member 13 cooperating with wedge shoes 14 acting upon intercalated plates including movable plates 15, which receive the thrust from the follower and act directly on the spring seat 16 for the springs 17 and 18.

The central wedge member 13 has a nose portion 19 to cooperate with a release element 20, which, in turn; cooperates with a release spring 21.

When the gear is originally assembled, the, shoulde s 12 have light projection (84 and 85, Figs. 2 and 6 of the Sproul patent) which engage the shoulder 11 in the housing and temporarily hold the gear slightly shorter than its normal length until it has been installed and operated a few times, when the wear or distortion eliminates the effect of these projections and the shoulders 12 come against the shoulders 11 in the housing and permit full expansion of the gear (Fig. 6).

When during maintenance or inspection operations the gear is dropped from the pocket, it will frequently, if

2,713,425 Patented July 19, 1955 not always, have an overall length too great to re-enter the pocket Without prying or shortening; but, since the springs are strong, this is a dangerous and costly operation.

According to this invention, a special tool 22 (Fig. 8) is placed against the movable plates 15, as shown in Fig. 2; and the gear is compressed enough to admit the separator 23 (Figs. 3 or 4) to be inserted between the shoulders 11 and 12, when the compressing forces may be released and the gear will be held fore-shortened until it can be installed and put through a few operations.

The separators, rectangularly shown in Fig. 3 or rounded as shown in Fig. 4, are provided with handles 24 formed by flat strips, which may be straight as shown in Fig. 3, or angular as in Fig. 4, or otherwise. With the gear compressed, the handle makes it possible to insert the separator in the area indicated by 25 (Fig. 7) and move it around to the position 26 in that figure, when it will lie as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5.

Preferably two separators are in place as indicated in Fig. 5 before the pressure is released and the gear allowed to expand to the limits of the separator.

The separators 23 must be of such material that it will withstand the pressure during handling, shipping, and installation, but will yield upon a few operations of the gear so as to permit proper expansion.

Aluminum alloys, such as S. A. E. 17S-T4, have satisfactory hardness; but, of course, a variety of other materials, such as brasses, bronzes, and other alloys, may be used.

The handles 24 may be made of any suitable material. Aluminum is satisfactory. Strip steel affords a little more rigidity.

The separators may Well be used with new draft gears 7 having no projections 84 and 85 as in the Sproul patent.

I claim:

1. For use with a draft gear including a housing having shoulders on its inner surface and friction elements including a central wedge member having lateral shoulders engaging the shoulders in the housing, a relatively soft separator having a handle by which it can be inserted into the compressed draft gear and between said shoulders to temporarily prevent full expansion, said separator being mounted adjacent one end of the handle and extending laterally therefrom whereby the handle may project from the draft gear housing when the separator is positioned between said shoulders.

2. In a draft gear, a housing having shoulders on its inner surface and an end opening adjacent thereto, friction elements within said housing including a central wedge member movable in said opening and having lateral shoulders engaging the shoulders in the housing, and a separator between said shoulders to temporarily prevent normal expansion of the gear, said separator having an elongated handle secured thereto and extending outwardly through said opening to enable said separator to be manually manipulated into position between said shoulders from the exterior of the housing.

3. Apparatus of the type set forth in claim 2 wherein said handle is substantially flat and lies between said central wedge member and a wall of said opening, and said separator extends laterally from one face of the handle adjacent one end thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,038,673 Olander Apr. 28, 1936 2,197,030 Clark Apr. 16, 1940 2,503,231 Freeman Apr. 4, 1950 2,527,589 Spence et al. Oct. 31, 1950 

